Calorie Intake vs. Energy Levels

I tried asking Mary about this a while back, but never got an answer. I am currently 170, 5'6", female, 38 yrs old. My burn meter says I burn 1800 a day (sedentary), so for a deficit of 500, I must eat 1300. I am at 1400 now and have been stuck on a plateau for a month now, hovering between 169-171 (SW 202, GW 139). I am tired all the time. I have no energy or inclination to exercise whatsoever.

I cut my calories to 1400 at the first of the year to reflect the falling burn meter and was doing fine through the month of February, hitting the treadmill every 2-3 days. Then TTOM hit (I am on Depo, so this only happens every 90 days for me). I lost all energy and motivation to exercise. After my new shot, I expected to rebound and get back on track. Nothing. Nada.

I have managed to get on the treadmill twice in six weeks now. My question is am I getting enough calories? Am I in starvation/survival mode and my body refuses to let go of a pound or burn any energy for me to exercise? Or am I somehow, at 1400, eating my maintenance calories and just maintaining what I am at? I am fairly sedentary, but 1400? Really?

For the last two weeks, I have tried something new and zig-zagged my calories a little (Mon 1500, Tue 1400, Wed 1400, Thu 1500, Fri 1500, Sat 1700, Sun 2000) just to see if I could kick start anything, but nothing budges. Not my energy, not my weight. Weighed in this morning at 169.8. Maybe I should drop my intake to 1200? Grrrrrrr. Very frustrating. If anyone has a clue, please share it with me 'cause I am clueless...

Bump...

maybe it is possible you've developed an allergy or sensitivtey? I know i personally couldnt loose weight and had no energy/chronic fatigue until I went off wheat/gluten and then Ive also delt with years of IBS and that went away when i elminated dairy from my diet. try getting an allergy test? that would be sapping your energy. also make sure you are getting enough carbs because a low carb diet also saps your energy and if your planning on excerising your body actually cant function without them.

There's something that hadn't occurred to me. I know it's not a carb deficiency, though. I get about 40% of my diet from them. But an allergy? Hmmm... I've never had a problem before, so it wouldn't occur to me, but you might have something there.

I think you have been undereating by quite a bit.  Your BMR is 1526.  You should never eat below this many calories or you will lose you energy and slow your metabolism.  Your maintenance calories are 1831 at sedentary but you should only have a 500 calorie deficit if it doesn't put you below you BMR.  Most of us are not sedentary in the truest sense.  At lightly active, which you probably would be if you had your energy back your maintenance would be 2098.  At either one you should be eating about 1550 to lose weight.  You may want to try eating maintenance of 1831 if really sedentary or 2098 if lightly active for a week, and then try eating at the 1550 level to see what happens.

I wouldn't rule out allergies but you may want to try eating more to see what happens.

Hope this helps and good luck.

This happens to me often -the numbers work on paper but then I feel like I have no energy, or become light-headed, etc. I'll say to you what my friends say to me - it's two simple words and they won't threaten your diet: Eat more!

i agree with robynready. when i get the low energy feelings your describing, im not eating enough. i don't lose weight, i have no motivation to exercise, and its generally miserable. 

run your numbers through the phord.com/cc site. its really helpful. at first i didn't believe them, but once i realized that i feel aweful eating less than my bmr, i began to understand that phord numbers are really helpful. they are now the ones i go by. 

when i upped my calories, i started losing, i had more energy, its so much better! 

good luck! 

Well, I ran my number through the phord.com/cc site. Either for sedentary or for lightly active, this is what it says:

Your customized recommendation: EAT 1467 calories :: BURN 2017 calories (for sedentary it says 186y) :: LOSE 1.1 lb per week Reasoning: Deficits: Your deficit is the difference between how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn. Your recommended deficit is 550 calories. This is the least of your Activity Deficit (550 calories), your Safety Deficit (845 calories), and your Maximum Fat Calorie Expenditure (1663 calories).

I was eating 1400. Can 67 calories make that much difference?

Have any of you ever calculated your expenditure with this?

Here is my cut & paste results (sorry if it seems long):

Divide your weight in pounds (lbs) by 2.2:

169 / 2.2 = 76.8kg

Estimating RMR in Females: (I am 38)
Age Range (yrs)    Equation for RMR (Calories/day)
30-60         (8.7 x weight) + 829

RMR = 1497.3

Estimating Your Thermic Effect of Exercise

Activity Levels:
Sedentary: Sometimes under the care of someone else. Resting
metabolic rate plus a factor for minimal activities - playing cards,
watching TV, reading, etc.

Lightly Active: Most students, office workers, and professionals;
lawyers, doctors, shop workers, teachers, drivers, lab workers, playing a
musical instrument, housewives/househusbands with mechanical
appliances, unemployed persons. This includes eight hours sleep and 16
hours of sitting or standing. Three of the 16 hours must include light
activity (walking, laundry, golf, ping pong) and one hour must be
moderate activity (tennis, dancing, walking briskly, aerobics, etc.).

Activity Factors for Various Levels of Activity

Sedentary     0.3
Lightly Active     0.5

*Since I am not bedridden, but can't really account for 4 solid hours of activity a day (am not currently working and I don't have small children anymore) I chose a level between those two, at 0.4.

To calculate your TEE, multiply your RMR times the appropriate activity factor from the
table above. For example, if you are a lightly active women, the activity factor to use is
0.5. If your calculated RMR is 1438 Calories/day (see above for calculation), then your

TEE is calculated as follows:
TEE = RMR x activity factor
TEE = 1438 x 0.5 = 719 Calories/day.

Activity Level falls between Sedentary and Lightly Active = 0.4

TEE = 1497.3 x 0.4 = 598.9

Note that if you fall between the activity categories listed in the table estimate a value
for your activity factor by extrapolating between the appropriate table values.

Estimating your Total Daily Caloric Expenditure

1. Get the sum of RMR and TEE.

RMR = 1497.3
TEE = 1497.3 x 0.4 = 598.9
SUM of RMR & TEE = 2096.2

2. Tack on another 10% of this sum for TEF*.

SUM of RMR & TEE = 2096.2 + 10% (209.6) = 2305.8

3. This total is your Total Daily Caloric Expenditure.
*TEF = Thermic Effect of Food (don't worry about what this means)

1. RMR + TEE = 1497.3 + 598.9 = 2096.2
2. TEF = 10% of 2096.2 (rounded off to 2096) = 0.1 x 2096 = 209.6 (rounded off to 210)
3. Total Daily Caloric Expenditure = 2096 + 210 = 2306 Calories/day

According to this I burn 2306, even at a level one tick above bedridden. With a 500 calorie deficit, I should be eating 1806. The numbers are way off from what CalorieCount tells you. I have my CC activity level set to sedentary, but don't remotely qualify for lightly active at the moment. There is no in-between setting to be more accurate. I am confused now, LOL.

the rule of thumb is to take in at least your bmr,

so ya, that -67 calories, if not consumed on a daily basis is theoretically stealing nutrients from your vital organs over the long term,

but, if your just under every once in a while, no big deal. 

the second thing just confused me  so im ignoring it. 

if it were me, i would

• increase activity however it will actually happen- like get a walk in every day or dance like a silly person in the living room, or go chasing pigeons, clean to break a sweat -to get some calorie burn, 
• eat to at least bmr. 
• give myself a 100 calorie wiggle room, 
• eat higher on days i get alot of activity in. . . . 
  

i am eating 1600 calories a day and burning about 3000 a week. my energy level got so low i couldn't function normally. i started drinking 10 bottles of water a day and i, literally, feel like a new person. my energy level went sky high. i never thought that water could make such a difference!!! i have heard people say you need alot of water, but never paid much attention to it. TRUST ME, your body needs that much water!!